Urban center "O.A.S.I. Europa" a Thiene (VI), Italy

14/11/2011

dott.ssa Silvia Gavasso/ FONTANAtelier

The restoration of the former public baths in Thiene, designed by Luisa Fontana in consultation with structural engineers Arup and landscape architects Manens, is the result of bold architectural and urban planning.

The project is funded by the Unit Energy Complex of the Veneto Region, according to 'Art.4 of Regional Law 25/2000. The building has also achieved an ‘A’ certification in the Eco_Domus energy class with a system developed by VI. Energy.

Dating back to early 900, the building of the former public baths remained in use until after the war, when it was decommissioned, remaining unused for over 40 years. In the 1980s, as a result of urban transformation, the courtyards were transformed into a square and the rear of the building became a façade, though not of very high quality. The restoration of the building was an opportunity to redefine a new urban role.

The restoration involved the preservation of the original building and the addition of a new volume, in the form of "shell" made of steel, copper and glass. The building is an example of smart design and energy efficiency, in which multiple strategies are integrated into a single coherent energy concept, in order to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions.

The new building design has been defined on the basis of the dynamic thermal model-E + CT software developed for the Arup building energy simulation, which allowed the solutions to optimize and quantify the benefits of the strategies adopted in terms of saving energy.

The result is an integrated organism, energy "independent" from the network, where climate and environment interact. The energy and environmental solutions optimize natural lighting and ventilation, while the building materials provide a high performance thermal envelope and the thermal inertia of the building.

The restoration, which opened in 2008, has transformed the building of the Public Baths in Urban Center "OASIS Europe", which has the mission of bridging the opportunities the city offers the world of school, the workplace, Europe and the citizen.